Here comes my promised second part of my experiences in Europe!
My flight took me from Minneapolis via Chicago to Duesseldorf where I arrived at what would have been the perfect bedtime for me - if, alas, we wouldn't have skipped seven time zones and instead of a cozy bed at midnight I'd find a bright and happy 7am morning sun. Tired and yawning, I dragged my suitcase to the railroad connecting the airport with several of the surrounding cities (talk about public transportation!!), to get to the station where my dad would pick me up. Looking out of the train window at the country that should have been so familiar to me, that in fact should be home to me, I did not quite know what to think. I felt - and have already felt so on past trips, but much more so this time - like a foreigner in my own country. And who could say I was not - my German clearly had an American tinge to it. Also, I hardly was up to date with just about anything that is happening, politically or economically, in Germany (international news don't really make it across the Atlantic!). It had been more than four years since I last was in Germany. In all of the 11 years in the United States, I had never visited Germany for more than 10 days, and that only every couple of years. So what did I really know of life in Germany? And how could I relate and share some of my very American experiences here?
From talking with both friends and family members, my impression is that while the Germans have their own take, and their own woes, about the economic crisis - and yes it does affect Germany too - the social "safety net" is still such that if we were able to recreate it here in the US, as it now in Germany, it would be a great achievement, particularly regarding Health Care and Education.
I found that the uncertainties I face in my particular situation here - being a freelance worker, having no health insurance, no sick days, no paid vacation, no retirement of any kind, and a fluctuating income on top of that - and as such being the first to fall through the social net if something was to happen - are not quite comprehensible to many of those who are close to me. And perhaps that is a good thing. I am not sure if I would recommend this adventurous lifestyle to anyone - at least now it is becoming also decidedly too adventurous for me. (I'd go for some of the good old German 'security' in a heartbeat right now).
After spending about 10 days in Germany, with my father, stepfather, and a dear friend from school, I took the train from Soest (Westfalen) to Lugano (Ticino, Switzerland). I had planned to take the train rather than fly, despite it being a 10 hour trip, because I wanted so much to look out the window and see the Alps which, I thought, I must undoubtedly be passing through. Well, pass through them I did - literally - in a gazillion tunnels of sometimes stunning length. Seeing them I did not, because they were unfortunately shrouded in clouds and fog the entire time. Only when the train arrived on the other side of the mountains did we see clear weather, stars and moon, but then the really high Alps were already out of sight. (I did finally catch a glimpse of snow covered mountains on my flight back from Milan to Duesseldorf. Well, I guess for someone living in Minnesota both ocean and mountains are really special, and I was blessed enough to get both of them on this journey! :-))
Meeting up with my boyfriend in Lugano, and taking a two day intense tour of all the family members he introduced me to, I struggled to take in all the new impressions, the sheer beauty of the place, as well as overcome the language barrier. "Non parlo Italiano... parlo Tedesco, Inglese e Frenchese " became a really helpful sentence to say, in a still sometimes futile search for some other language to converse in.
The beauty of the Lugano area is certainly breathtaking. The colors, the mountains, and most of all, Lake Lugano! Naturally turquoise waters, bathtub water temperatures, and even Palm trees. (I could not help but wonder: where do these trees go in the winter? Apparently they thrive there year round. People told me that they do have winters there and even will have snow - but, please, how bad can it be when there are year round Palm trees? After all, you are talking to a Minnesotan: you don't know what a real winter is if you haven't lived in Minnesota or somewhere above the Arctic circle! How about minus 40 degrees, anyone?)
I found Ticino to be a beautiful and charming mixture of Italian happiness and Swiss sophistication. And yes, a high standard of living, certainly, and decidedly more so than in Italy. I did not have much of a chance to talk directly with anyone living in Italy, so I can only make an educated guess here. From what I have heard, the Italians are struggling economically very much, especially since the introduction of the Euro. Despite that, somehow they manage to still have style. Real style - we are talking about designer cloth, 200 Euro shoes and all kinds of high - end boutiques. How can people afford this, how can all these little chique boutiques survive, I couldn't figure it out. But, if one has the needed cash, it is a shopping paradise!
From Lugano we drove to Frassinello (a little charming village where Gio's sister owns a vacation home), and after a three day stay on to Lucca and then to Florence. All in all I got some impression of the magic of the Tuscan landscape as well as the art, history and culture of the larger cities of Tuscany. We only had one day in Florence when really one would need a week just to go through the museums alone. The one museum we did visit was the "Firenze Musei" where Michelangelo's famous "David" statue is housed (impossible to not see that when you are in Florence!). In what little time we had to see Florence there was almost more art and information than I could properly process in such a short time. From the majestic Duomo to the Piazza della Signoria to the famous Ponte Vecchio, art and history and religion intertwine with restaurants and cafes and the latest Chanel Store. Certainly, a fascinating mix of the ancient and contemporary.
From Florence it was about a five hour drive back to Lugano, and then it would go back via Milan - Duesseldorf to Chicago - Minneapolis. Arriving back in the United States, I felt almost like I was dreaming. It seemed strange that such entirely different realities have room to exist on the same planet. It was an effort to readjust to the pace of life as it is lived here: I was literally and metaphorically speaking on "European Time", and that is decidedly more leisurely than American time.
Despite it all, I still love this country - although you may not want to ask me for any rational explanation for this. Would I go back to live in Europe? I don't know. It depends, how things develop here. If I find it impossible to make a living here due to economic circumstances, I may go back. On the other hand, a part of me belongs here too: just as much as I am irrevocably European, a part of me will also remain American. And yet another part of me, ever idealistic, can't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, Obama's America will follow Europe's example and actually implement something so necessary as decent Health Care Reform (and affordable education, and a green energy economy, and public transportation, and so on!). It would indeed transform the face of America, but it would be one of many very needed steps to bring stability and prosperity back to the American people.
